Medical marijuana dispensary prepares to open on Church Street

Verdant Creations Managing Partner Corey Poches (left) and Dispensing Manager Tarrisa King plan to open the medical marijuana dispensary April 30 or May 1 on West Church Street.(Photo: Kent Mallett/The Advocate)

NEWARK – Verdant Creations managing partner Corey Poches said safety and security were top priorities when designing the new medical marijuana dispensary on Church Street.

The business, in a new building at 1550 W. Church St., next to Maximum Fitness, will open on April 30 or May 1, and provide on-site security.

The Newark Planning Commission approved the site plan in August, contingent on a parking agreement with Maximum Fitness. The agreement has since been reached, with Verdant Creations having 41 parking spaces.

"We addressed a lot of those (safety and security) concerns very early on," Poches said. "In the beginning, with the concern over safety, we had great conversations with city officials. Everybody has been great to work with."

The city's Board of Zoning Appeals previously granted a variance to allow the business to be closer than the previously required 1,000 feet from a school. The state prohibited dispensaries from being within 500 feet of a school, church, public library or playground, public park, or community addiction services facility, but Newark added an additional 500 feet. The business is about 780 feet from Par Excellence Academy on Granville Road.

Patients will enter the facility into a general waiting room, where they will check in, show identification and a medical marijuana card, and fill out new patient paperwork. They will then be permitted past a locked door for a quick consultation with a patient care specialist and view the products available.

Verdant Creations, a medical marijuana dispensary, will open April 30 or May 1 at 1550 W. Church St.(Photo: Kent Mallett/The Advocate)

Poches said they did considerable research before deciding on the layout and appearance of the 6,000-square foot dispensary. The building is 8,000 square feet, with the additional area available for future growth.

"There's a lot of good examples in other states," Poches said. "We flew across the country to look at other places. Safety and security were No. 1. Patient access was No. 2. We wanted to make it easy and wide open for those in wheelchairs.

"We didn't want too much glitz and glamour, but not like a doctor's office. We didn't want it to be a shiny, bright place somebody is intimidated by. We made a few changes to the layout during the process to be patient-friendly."

Patients with one of 21 qualifying medical conditions can buy and use medical marijuana after registering through a certified marijuana doctor in Ohio.

The dispensary will be permitted to sell oils distilled from the plant and the flower itself. The oil can be consumed in food or drink or with a drop on the tongue, Poches said. The flower can be broken up to bake with it, vaporized, or used to create an oil. A heating element is not permitted to touch the flower for it to be smoked, he said.

Poches said the supply and demand of the market will help dictate prices, but safety of the product is something for patients to consider.

"We're guaranteeing a safe, regulated product here versus the black market," Poches said. "I'd feel comfortable paying more of a premium for that. Across the board, we're only seeing a variance of a couple dollars here or there."

He said veterans will be able to obtain a discount, but medical insurance will not cover medical marijuana.

Verdant Creations, owned and founded by John Hondros, will also operate dispensaries in Chillicothe, Marion, Columbus and Cincinnati, but Newark will be the first to open.

The nearest medical marijuana processors will be in Johnstown, Zanesville and Columbus. Poches said they plan to work with Ohio Grown Therapies in Johnstown when it begins processing medical marijuana.

According to the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program, there were 13 dispensaries open in the state, as of March 28, with the closest being one in Columbus and one in Coshocton.

Newark will have three medical marijuana dispensaries. The other two will be on North 21st Street. Ohio Grown Therapies will operate at 1246 N. 21st St., the former location of Valley Lanes. WGB will open a dispensary at 1150 N. 21st St., in the strip center across the street from Kroger Marketplace.